As I write this, my beautiful dog Janet is resting close besides me.She has been my loving companion for most of her 14 years.I found out a couple weeks ago that she has a tumor in her bladder.This does not come as a complete surprise.She has shown signs of health problems for the last couple months.I have opted to use anti-inflamatory medication at this time but given her age, I will not be seeking out surgery for her.This is the first animal of mine that I was given the luxury of time.Every other one of my dog and cat “children” were in crisis situations where I had to make a painful decision right then and there.
Many of us have said, “If only I knew sooner” or “If only I had more time.” Now I have a little of both.The dilemma is, how do I make the most of it?
This brings up another conundrum for me.We are encouraged to live life in the present.The past is gone, the future may never come, so live in the present.(I don’t know who said it but it makes good sense.)Here’s something to consider.What if, like me, you are intuitive.You are sensitive to what the future may hold.You may not be able to find lost children or pick the winning lottery numbers but you definitely get strong “gut feelings” or intuitive” hits”.Like me, you have learned they are reliable.Instead of blowing them off, you listen.How do you honor what your intuition is telling you about the future while staying grounded in the present?
When I wrote my first blog post, “Animal Shelter Reality Check”, I was struggling with whether or not to adopt a second dog.Janet was a huge part of this consideration.I wasn’t really sure if I was ready for a second dog and I was enjoying the comfortable place I was in.I knew it couldn’t be forever though.Now I can see my instincts were spot on.
Dealing with a dog is one thing but what about a human being?I have had this sense with family members, too.Granted they were older and it wasn’t “out of the blue” but I still had to honor these feelings.I am not saying that there is no hope and that every health challenge ends in death.Actually, not every intuitive”hit” is for something that serious.Sometimes it can be for something lighter or more pleasant.
Have you ever met someone and knew that you were going to be friends?Have you ever met two people and thought, ” they should be friends” or ” they would make a good couple”? Sometimes it would seem just like common sense, or better yet, paying attention.My husband and I have a friend, Billy, that works at Gruhn’s Guitars in Nashville.Before that he was in a job situation that he struggled with.I knew eventually he would end up at Gruhn’s.He belonged at Gruhn’s.It didn’t matter to me that there weren’t any job openings at the time, I knew that is where he was headed.Sure enough, he eventually found a position and has been there for quite a few years now.
In Florence Scovel Shinn’s book, “The Game of Life and How To Play it”, she says that intuition does not explain how, it simply points the way.
Isn’t that the truth. We get a piece of information or, inspiration if you will, and we may toss it out because it just doesn’t fit into our present circumstances.Like the lost earing I wrote about a couple posts ago, we get only a piece of the puzzle and it seems useless.We may be tempted to give up or discard it.DON’ T
There are two things to consider here.One is taking action and the other is not taking action.They can be equally as distressing. If there is a step you should take, do it.It may be very simple and seemily insignificant.Do it anyway.You will feel better.If there is no action to take, maybe it is just something to be aware of for the future.That can be even more daunting and we may be tempted to force an outcome.DON’T.Either way, you may not want to tell other people.You may want to just file that information in your mind.
One thing that is very important, which may go without saying, is to always acknowledge your feelings.You may not be able to act on these feelings in the present moment but they are still important.I imagine we all know someone who is highly sensitive and intuitive but a little unstable( at least I do).They may immediately say, “this person is no good” or “I have this great idea” but they don’t know how to handle that information.If you get the sense that someone’s intentions are questionable, you can keep that in mind, take action to protect yourself, and they usually will show there colors in the end.There is no reason to fly off the handle making seemingly unreasonable accusations.If you have a great idea, it may take others time to come around to your way of thinking.Don’t expect everyone to jump on board all at once.They may not see what you see.
Intuition is a gift and a skill.We all have it.Some don’t acknowledge it and some don’t know how to handle it but we all have it.The trick is to pay attention.
For the moment, I am giving Janet medication, watching her diet, and trying some alternative remedies.Every day is a blessing.Every moment is precious.I take extra time to let her know how much I love her and can’t resist throwing my arms around her neck and kissing her head.I had a dream last night that she was shot in the face but, remarkably, still lived even though she was expected to die.My heart just ached for her then as it does now.Could that be a sign of things to come? I am going to file that one away.